Total site area (ha) : 59,223 ha
Project site area (ha): 36,732 ha
The Biebrza National Park is situated in the north-eastern part of Poland. The geographical
coordinates of the site are 53°12'49''N−53°44'45'' N / 22°26'00'' E−23°30'44'' E, altitude
102.5−135 m above sea level.
The park was established in 1993. The Biebrza National Park protects extensive, almost intact
valley peatlands with a unique diversity of habitats, communities and plant and animal
species. The Biebrza National Park is the biggest of 23 national parks in Poland. With its area
of 59,223 ha it constitutes almost 1/5 (19%) of the total area of national parks in Poland.
The Biebrza river is 156.5 km long from source to mouth. All along its course the Biebrza river
forms numerous meanders. Its catchment area covers 7,062 km2. The Biebrza valley varies
from 1.5 up to 23 km wide. The peat deposit is 1 to 6 m thick. Numerous oxbows are situated
in a 1 to 2 km-wide muddy zone along the river in the southern part of the valley.
The river channel is natural in character with numerous meanders and abandoned dykes in
varying state of overgrowth. The valley, having only a slight altitude gradient, is also supplied
by groundwater flowing from the surrounding upland resulting in active peat-forming
processes over a vast area. In the Biebrza valley there are several types of wetlands. The
dominant type is fen, followed by marsh, swamp forest and riverine floodplain.
In the Biebrza valley 921 species of vascular plants and many species of mosses have been
recorded. Many rare and protected species declining in Poland and Europe occur in the
Biebrza valley. 67 of the vascular plants occurring in the Biebrza valley are protected by law;
10 of them are in the Polish Red Data Book and 45 are on the Red List of Threatened Plants
in Poland.
The Biebrza valley is a refuge for rich and varied wildlife, both resident and migrant. Many rare
and protected species declining in Poland and Europe depend on the valley for survival. So far
275 birds (about 180 breeding), 48 mammals, 5 reptiles, 12 amphibians, 36 fish, more than
750 moths and butterflies, 500 beetles, 450 spiders, 42 caddis flies and 19 leeches have been
recorded here. The Biebrza valley’s value for birds, rich both in numbers and variety, is
unique. The long list of nesting birds includes such rare species as the aquatic warbler, black
grouse, black stork, corncrake, great snipe, white-winged black tern and many more.
Moreover, the Biebrza valley plays an outstanding role as a feeding ground and stopover for
migratory birds, especially during the spring migration. From the point of view of the number of
migrating flocks and diversity of bird species the Biebrza stands out among other Polish river
valleys. In 1995 Biebrza National Park was inscribed in the RAMSAR list. The Biebrza
wetlands also are an important breeding habitat in Europe for birds of prey such as Aquila
clanga, Aquila pomarina, Cyrcus pygargus and Haliaeetus albicilla. The population of the elk
Alces alces in the Biebrza valley totals about 588 individuals. Elk survived the war here and
being protected spread across almost all of Poland.
Biebrza NP is the largest breeding site of A.paludicola in Poland and in the EU, supporting
79% of the national, 70% of the EU and 16.5 % of the global population of the species.
The project’s focus area for active habitat management (4,580 ha) is located in the core
breeding area of A. paludicola in Biebrza NP and Poland. During the 2003 OTOP all-Poland
counts of A. paludicola 1515 singing males were observed at this site (44% of the Polish and
9% of the global population).
